News Blog 92% of vets think that exotics pets are in unsuitable environments (08-07-25) Did you know that there are very few restrictions on keeping wild animals as pets in Scotland? That is how a marmoset that is native to the Atlantic forest of northeastern Brazil ended up in a birdcage in a living room of an East Lothian home. If you find that incredibly concerning, you’re not alone. In 2022, the British Vetenirary Association (BVA) asked British veterinarians about their view on various aspects of ‘non-traditional companion animals’ (Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, 2022) and the findings are staggering: 81% of vets think that welfare needs of exotic pets are not being met. Vets who treat non-traditional companion animals (NTCAs) report that 58% of the NTCAs they see do not have their five animal welfare needs met. 92% of vets say the need for a ‘suitable environment’ for exotic pets is often not being met. ‘Lack of specialist veterinary care’ for wild animals kept as pets was raised as a concern. Sign our petition With regards to primates, specifically, the BVA has stated that it “can think of no circumstances where a primate would benefit from being kept privately as a pet. They are unsuitable to be kept as companion animals.” Our commissioned research To form our campaign, we commissioned research into exotic pet keeping and produced the Don’t Pet Me: The Scale, Scope and Motivations for Keeping Wild Animals as ‘Pets’ in Scotland report. As part of this research, Professor Sam Hurn (University of Exeter) interviewed veterinary professionals and those involved in frontline rescue. All of them felt very strongly that some classes/species should not be allowed to be kept as pets because they cannot engage in natural behaviour or their needs cannot be met. Examples given included primates, parrots, larger fish, foxes, and African pygmy hedgehogs. Don't Pet Me campaign Our new Don’t Pet Me campaign, with Born Free and Scottish SPCA, urges the Scottish Government to introduce a list of permitted species that can have their needs met in captivity. This means that animals that do not thrive in captive environments could no longer be kept as pets. Wild animals deserve to thrive in their natural habitat – not confined in people’s homes. And we need your help to make sure this happens. Please join more than 10,000 others and sign our petition to the Scottish Government, urging them to introduce a permitted list of animals that can thrive in domestic environments, and thus can be kept as pets. Sign our petition Read our report Manage Cookie Preferences